Foreword -- PISA, politics and planning a trip -- Kindergartens, parables and professionals in Finland -- The Finnish comprehensive consensus -- Purpose, mastery and trust in Finnish teachers -- Authority, resilience and not bothering others in Japan -- Samurai, meritocracy and 'education mamas' -- 'Relaxed education', lesson study, and the Japanese approach to problem-solving -- Dynamic intelligence, eugenics and streaming in Singapore -- Private tutors, public pressure -- Attraction, career ladders and working with the psychology of motivation -- The Confucian mindset -- Chinese legends, guanxi and migrant workers -- Memorisation, deep-fried chicken and the paradox of the Chinese learner -- Diversity, relationships and the limits of individualism -- Universal standards, answerability and streaming up -- Beyond knowledge -- Five principles for high-performing, equitable education systems -- Trade-offs? -- Glossary.

Secondary school teacher and education consultant Lucy Crehan was frustrated with ever-changing government policies on education ; dissatisfied with a system that prioritised test scores over the promotion of creative thinking; and disheartened that the interests of children had become irrelevant. Curious to discover how countries such as Finland, Canada, Japan, China and Singapore consistently manage to top global education surveys, Lucy set off on a journey around the globe to see these schools and students for herself. 'Cleverlands' is the story of her journey.